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What are some stupidly easy food pairings that go really well together for the low effort?

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Examples: Apple with peanut butter. Bowl of broccoli florets with cheese mixed in

Preferably I wouldn't even have to cook it, but I'm willing to go the extra mile and sautee something for 5 mins

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Hummus and vegetable sticks (eg. Carrots, peppers, cucumber) Yoghurt, nut butter and honey Dates and peanut butter Cucumber slices and cottage or cream cheese

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Greek yogurt and blueberries is my favorite

Love this. I also usually add raspberries and granola.

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An obvious one, but it has to be said: beans and rice.

green lentils and brown rice! Can be cooked together in the same pot

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French bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

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PB and Banana on toast. Add some honey if you're feeling boujee.

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Sunny side up eggs and rice!! Hearty for what it seems, tastes delicious, good protein and carbs, easy to add some fruit or veggies on the side to balance the meal, and it’s easy to reheat and finish if you make too much. Edit to add: specifically, I like mine slightly underdone so the yoke is creamy and mixes in with the rice. Small distinction but it adds a lot IMO

Add sesame oil and soy sauce to this

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Get more for your money with Hot & Savory Cups! Just add hot water or microwave to enjoy bold flavors like Korean BBQ or Spicy Gochujang Noodles.
Thumbnail image: Get more for your money with Hot & Savory Cups! Just add hot water or microwave to enjoy bold flavors like Korean BBQ or Spicy Gochujang Noodles.
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Sausage and Cabbage. I just used the bagged precut coleslaw mix from the grocer, dice some sausage, cook in veggie broth in a pan... good to go

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Watermelon with Tajin sprinkled on top. Trust me.

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Add mango to this list.

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Sliced tomatoes on toast

Or even just really fresh tomato slices with a sprinkle of sea salt. Really easy snack.

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This is more of a drink than a food, but it makes for a quick breakfast:

Vanilla protein shake + orange juice.

Fantastic if you like orange julius.

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  • broccoli and cauliflower with parmesan cheese

  • apples with cheddar cheese

  • ground hamburger with rice and brown gravy

  • watermelon and feta

  • eggs and toast

  • chicken with spinach/kale spring mix

  • marinated chicken with rice

  • northern beans with rice

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Prosciutto and melon (an Italian ham and cantaloupe) taste so good together. No cooking.

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Instant potatoes (maybe not super healthy) with lightly sauteed onions, garlic, and mushrooms.

Instant rice, raw egg, scallions, sesame seeds, and soy sauce.

Avocados mashed with olive oil, salt, pepper, lime juice, then smeared on whole wheat crackers.

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Gin and tonic

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Cheese, crackers and grapes!

And thinly sliced apple is great too

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Goat cheese and honey

Try adding rosemary and almonds/walnuts. Or serve with rosemary raisin nut crackers from Trader Joe’s or Wegman’s.

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Caprese is one of the best mixes I’ve seen and super quick and easy to make.

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I like to fry halloumi in place of the mozzarella and add avocado slices for a slutty caprese.

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Fresh fig with blue cheese and a drizzle of honey.

Sliced pear and bleu cheese go really well, too.

I prefer honey goat cheese with figs and dates

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freshly baked bread and butter.

If you could use a NSFW tag, it would be appreciated. TIA!

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The crustier the bread, the better. Yum.

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Mint, strawberry, mango - the most refreshing thing in my life.

Last week I had some watermelon with minced basil. It was bizarre yet terrific.

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Cottage cheese and tomatoes.

Cottage cheese and almost everything. Anything savory like pot roast or gravy, anything with tomatoes like pizza and spaghetti. I also like it with avocado. And annnnnything with potatoes

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Cottage cheese and avocado too. Add a little salt and pep...mmmm.

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You can get "Everything but the bagel" seasoning from Trader Joe's and sprinkle a little on your tomatoes and cottage cheese mix. Takes it up a level and doesn't add many calories.

Cottage Cheese and pickled jalepenos. You are all missing out.

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HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME OUT.

Cottage cheese and Nutritional Yeast

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Cottage cheese and crushed pineapple

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Cottage cheese and scrambled eggs. It takes way better than it sounds!

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Cottage cheese and applesauce is a good one. I like to sprinkle pepitas on top too.

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Cottage cheese and tuna with salt and balsamic vinegar

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Black beans and yellow rice

Hummus and baby carrots

Cucumber, mint ,yogurt, salt and garlic

eats plain tzatziki in the corner

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Upvoting beans and rice for being a complete protein.

Together, rice and beans contain all nine essential amino acids to form a complete source of protein. Approximately 1 cup (239 grams) provides 12 grams of this nutrient.

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Grilled cheese and tomato soup. What I really appreciate about this combo is that you can create the most basic version of this and enjoy it, or you can throw in all kinds of stuff, like various cheeses, different seasonings to the soup, fancy bread etc. It's very adaptable

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Vanilla yogurt and pb powder and chocolate chips. Protein that taste like dessert 😋

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Yes!! I used to do cherry Greek yogurt and vanilla powder. Tasted like cherry pop tarts

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I like scrambled eggs and brown rice.

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hummus + anything

hummus with a spoon 😂

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This might sounds weird but once someone made me try it I freaking loved it. Carrots and peanut butter!!

Celery is also a solid choice.

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Solid snack, I thought I was the only one!!

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Cream cheese

Some kind of spicy jelly (I like jalapeño jelly)

Ritz crackers

Yum

Red pepper jelly 🤤

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Bread+sausage; Muesli+fruit+yogurt; Boiled eggs; Protein powder+oats+nuts; Walnuts+nutella

I love that you paired eggs with nothing and it's still a rad snack

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Apples & sweet potatoes, sauté in butter or bake . Add a sprinkle of cinnamon or apple/pumpkin pie spice!

Throwing that into a simple curry sauce over rice is a game changer

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Hear me out on this: toast with apple and a slice of cheese. Dice up an apple, put it on top of bread, add a slice of American cheese (white not orange) on top, throw it in a toaster oven.

Throw some cinnamon and cardamom on that, you have the snack of my childhood. XD

(Also some red onion is bomb with this.)

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Laughing cow Swiss cheese spread on cucumber slices

  • Cottage cheese and melon

  • Watermelon and feta

  • Frozen waffles and microwaved frozen berries (if you want to be fancy: syrup/icing sugar and/or yogurt and/or whipped cream)

  • cheat “ice cream”/smoothie bowl (basically just extra thick smoothie, frozen fruit and milk/plant milk/cream/yogurt. If you want to freeze it add liquor to prevent it getting too solid -boil pasta/potatoes add a bunch of frozen peas and corn to cool it down, add mayo and season

  • deli meat, bit of honey mustard, wrap around pickle, eat

Cream cheese on sliced ham rolled onto a pickle, sliced into bites. Pickle treats! Delish.

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Cottage cheese and canned peaches. Lowest effort for a filling and cheap breakfast or snack.

Peaches and poppyseed dressing is da bomb!!

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Strawberries and dark chocolate

God, I hate myself for loving this as a kid. Cambell's cream of mushroom soup and rice. I would put in raw medium grain rice and cook it with the soup mix and water and make a porridge type thing that i effing loved. I'd mix an egg in at the end. I crave this when I'm sick.

When I was a kid, my family made this weird "asian" food dish with browned hamburger, cream of mushroom soup, and the canned La Choy chop suey vegetables. Put it over rice with Schwan's pork egg rolls and you had yourself dinner. My husband hates it. Lol

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Sweet potato and apples! Sauté with smoked paprika and sage. It's one of my favorite easy bases for several different meals.

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Cheese and grapes

Greek yogurt and peanut butter

Apple and cheese

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Hear me out: sharp/green apple and hummus. It’s nicer than carrots

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Greek yogurt with granola and berries (I buy frozen berries and make my own granola on weekends, it’s stupid easy). Banana with peanut butter. Peanut butter toast with fruit (strawberries or banana are nice right on top). Scrambled eggs and toast (a little more work, but fast, delicious, and good for you). Hummus or bean dip with something to dip (jicama, pita, carrots, tortilla chips, cucumber). Mini cheese plate (1-2 types of cheese, crackers, maybe a cured meat, and some fruit). Tuna salad on crackers (also egg or chicken salad). Cottage cheese with fruit or veg thrown in (cucumber and radish is nice, and peaches, pineapple, and strawberry are classic).

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Cheddar cheese and fruit jam.

Don’t knock it til you try it.

I love grilled cheese sandwiches with jelly on top. This is basically that

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My parents used to peel cucumber and then slice them longways and sprinkle with salt and pepper, loved those as a kid. They also would cut tomatoes into wedges and sprinkle a bit of sugar. Simple easy snacks

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Celery, cream cheese, everything but the bagel seasoning

popcorn with soy sauce mixed in with the butter - very umami!

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Fruit jam and cream cheese on a bagel

Spaghetti and garlic bread sandwich. It’s carb overload but it’ll change your life. Sourdough bread is the best for this

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Pasta and pesto

Apples, grapes, cheese. Cut ‘em up and stick ‘em on a toothpick for maximum fanciness.

Havent read the other comments so sorry if i'm repeating:

pepperoni & cheese (and crackers if you want)

yogurt and fruit

homemade trailmixes

avocado toast

deviled eggs are really easy to make too, the hardest part is boiling/peeling the egg

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Mashed potatoes with sweet peas mixed in. I'm trying to get rid of most of the dairy I put in potatoes, but I love this combo.

If you're feeling adventurous, I recently made salt and vinegar mashed potatoes.

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Granny Smith apple with cheddar and a honey drizzle.

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Feta cheese and watermelon. Try this on a hot summer day and it will blow ur fckin mind.

Another one I like is dipping a banana in peanutbutter and then nutella, but this ones an obv one lol

Avocado and honey, take the pit out and just fill the hole with honey and eat it with a spoon.

Canned tuna + mayo + cubed tomato, pickles and marble cheese. Mix in a bowl, it's easy, cheap and actually super filling.

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Diced tomatoes, minced cilantro, salt, pepper, lime juice. You could even pair that with baked chicken

Salmon and goat cheese and pesto!

Bean salad: 3 cans of different beans (drained), can of cut green beans (drained), bottled vinaigrette, and seasoning. Keeps in the fridge for a week; can be eaten at room temperature.

Avocado toast with Taijin.

Pouch of precooked rice, kimchi, and hard-boiled egg.

Ramen with peanut butter and jammy egg.

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I once went to a baby shower and one of the snacks was literally just chunks of pineapple and cream cheese on a toothpick and it was amazing.

canned sardines and rice, top tier lazy lunch

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banana + walnut , mango + cashew

Toasted English muffin, butter, and a drizzle of honey. SO good!

If you like Abba Zabba candy or fluffernutter sandwiches, you should try a scoop of peanut butter in vanilla yogurt

Peanut butter and honey on toast

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Black beans and sweet potatoes (cubed and roasted in the oven with salt and pepper and maybe some cumin). The earthiness of the black beans is a great compliment to the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Throw them together in a taco shell or a tortilla, with some quick pickled cabbage (cole slaw mix is a terrific lazy alternative) and you’ve got an easy dinner, baby!

Random easy breakfast: cottage cheese with mandarins. Yum!

Tomato sauce and mozzarella.

Tortilla and any melty cheese + veggies. Make a quesadilla.

Scrambled eggs and pesto, such a delicious combination

Cottage cheese and pumpkin seeds

yogurt and granola and strawberries and blueberries

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Pre-made hummus and 1. Carrot sticks or chips 2. Pita chips 3. Bell pepper strips 3. Pretzels. Other veggies could work too

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kielbasa or polish sausage and cheese cubes. My step grandpa (natural one died before born) used to bring out a bowl of this all the time when I was little. I still do it 35 years later, but use different meats. Its actually a pretty great light lunch. Sometimes I buy meat sticks on sale, cheese, and almonds. I cut the sticks into inch pcs, smallish cubes of cheese, and put them in one of those "lunchable" type tupperware containers with the almonds.. sometimes throw in some cut up cucumber or radish..

cucumber, lime and Taijin

Dark chocolate and candied ginger.

Ricotta and crushed pistachios drizzled with honey. I had it first time in a restaurant in Rome and was blown away!

Deli meat wrapped around thin slices of pickle.

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Whiskey and pickle juice

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Banana and peanut butter

Rice and salad

Pickles and Gouda cheese.

chips and salsa, bonus if you make your own pico or something similarly healthy. I have eaten chips and salsa as a meal many times.

BLUEBERRIES AND WHOLE RAW ALMONDS!! They compliment each other ridiculously well and it's super healthy for you too!

This ain't healthy but when I'm lazy and want dessert I put chocolate chips in a tortilla and make a chocolate-only "quesadilla" or choco-dilla

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If you have a toaster oven a croissant and some honey is primo.

Set your toaster oven to bagel. Cut the croissant in half with the inside facing up and the outside down. Apply a teaspoon of honey when it's done crisping.

Fluffy and warm on the exterior, light and crispy in the interior with a sweet, floral and buttery taste.

Rice and Guac

basil and balsamic, also Dijon mustard and sour cream or plain yogurt makes a great dip for chicken

Watermelon and feta cheese

watermelon and any salty cheese :)

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Tomatoes & feta cheese. Pretzels & nutella. Cucumber & ranch dressing. Hummus & Crackers

  • Greek yogurt with diced cucumbers, ground mint and ground garlic

  • watermelon and feta cheese

  • mashed avocado with ground ginger, lime/lemon juice and peanuts

  • hot boiled potatoes mashed with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add cold Greek yogurt and it's even better

  • tomato slices topped with garlic dip and sprinkled with sumac

Zucchini and tomato. Can also throw in some onion

smoked salmon or turkey with mustard… gross but i literally just slather it on and go for it

also weird but any sharper cheese + hummus… aged white cheddar, pecorino, gruyere.. cut a lil rectangle and dip it in. obvi celery or carrots w hummus too. really anything w hummus, i fucking love hummus

ETA: tomato, ricotta, and a bit of balsamic and salt/pepper if u wanna get real fancy

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Smoked salmon and literally anything else. Peanut butter, pineapple, berries, avocado, bread, rice, butter, heavy cream, jelly/jam, cheese, celery, cucumbers, tomato, peaches, apples, grapes, broccoli, dry beans (cooked, of course), cabbage, crackers, potato chips, ...

... bacon, sausage, cilantro, croissants, doughnuts (yes), cream cheese, chicken, kim chi, honeydew, cheddar or mozzarella, eggs, salad dressing, ...

I challenge anyone to find a grocery item that doesn’t pair with smoked salmon!

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I really like having cottage and fruit or cottage cheese with horseradish.

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Tahini and blackstrap molasses: Mix them together and you have a delicious caramel-like dip that may not be healthy per se but at least has more vitamins/nutrients (iron, magnesium, some protein, healthy fats) than actual caramel. Eat with apples or bread.

Diced hard boiled eggs and avocados with a bit of lime juice: Yum. More protein than regular guacamole. Eat with toast or tostadas.

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Pb2 powder mixed into vanilla Greek yogurt. Dip fruit into it. Vanilla wafers into it. Throw in a smoothie. Eat it straight

Purple grapes and sharp cheddar

Over medium egg with sourdough toast is a great light breakfast/midday snack.

Oven roasted potatoes with olive oil and Greek seasoning.

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A bag of washed greens and a can of garbanzo beans. All you need is olive oil, salt and pepper. Lemon, garlic, red wine vinegar can all be used to up flavor. Parm too.

Garlic cloves, tomatoes, olive oil, in the oven for like 10 minutes. Bread to spread

bacon and havarti cheese

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ohohoh!! Zucchini bread and cheddar sandwiches. yum. (any sweet bread will work - I pair cheddar with starbuck's gingerbread at christmas)

Pickles + ranch. (I like Bolthouse Ranch, it’s made with yogurt.)

Today this: flour tortillas cooked on hot cast iron pan till crisp and dipped into black bean & corn salsa. Healthy? Cheap yes. Usually I deep fry the tortillas after cutting into triangles but I’m trying to be healthier…

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Rye toast and salted butter.

Tomato-Mayo sandwiches on toasted rye bread.

Alright, this is gonna sound weird but...

Cabbage and strawberries. But you don't eat them together. You eat a couple strawberries until the sweet starts to get to you, then you switch to cabbage until it's about to taste bitter, then you switch back and forth until the entire bowl is gone and you're wondering WTF just happened.

Watermelon and mint, with a bit of lemon juice. =summer fresh to me.

Avocado and hummus on toast, topped with halved cherry tomatoes

Peanut butter and chopped strawberries on toast (healthy PB&J)

Greek yoghurt with papaya, kiwifruit and walnuts

Egg, soba noodles, coleslaw mix (minus the sauce) and soy sauce (egg roll in a bowl)

Any salad with hummus instead of dressing

Not just apples with peanut butter, but really most nuts and fruit combinations are great. I am in the fourth trimester with a newborn at home and so simple things like a hard boiled egg and some cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber as a meal, or a handful of nuts and a bowl full of berries. Honestly eating healthy And at a good cost is so much easier than people think. I honestly think putting together Ramen is more effort than just grabbing an apple and a handful of nuts.

Cream cheese with hot pepper jelly on top, makes a good finger food or appetizer with crackers!

Baked beans with a can of crushed pineapple..... by itself...on toast....alongside some bacon or ham...hot or cold. Yum

Now hear me out: vanilla ice cream and balsamic vinegar

Literally banana and Nutella is all you will ever need. Add crushed nuts and whipped cream if you're feeling decadent

Sorry I can't think of any simple universal combinations like PBJ But I have a few combinations These can be a used a snack Mix jaggery with any of these

Roasted Chana dal idk if it's available all over the world if not you can find them in Indian grocery store(it's a versatile food grain mainly used for chutneys)

Slightly roasted Peanuts (no oil) prefer iron utensil

2.Tamarind rice/Lemon rice with curd/yoghurt 3.Garlic Bread and mayonnaise 4.Teriyaki Chicken and Yoghurt.

Slice up cucumber and tomato in cubes, add some feta cheese, and your favorite vinaigrette/balsamic dressing and done!

Yogurt with bread. Pumpkin puree/yogurt with rice cakes. Oatmeal with cottage cheese.

Ole High Fiber wrap + garlic hummus + turkey + lettuce. So good and so easy!

Cottage cheese and pineapple!!!! Then sprinkle some pepper on top, so good.

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Italian sausage (chicken/vegan/pork… doesn’t matter) crumbled and sautéed and add zucchini

  • Port and dark chocolate.

  • Granny Smith apples and good cheddar

  • watermelon and Parmesan

radishes/carrots with hummus/baba ganoush is great

You can get pre cooked rotisserie chicken.. black beans.. some instant rice Season to taste.. my fave go to quick meal. Even cooking a thin sliced breast up doesn’t take long.

Sliced banana and strawberries with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Applesauce with blue berries and cinnamon

Cheese and crackers, grapes and cheese, salami and cheese, strawberries and whip cream, yogurt and granola, bread and butter…

Mashed sweet potato and literally any meat

Yogurt, thyme, basil, oregano, garlic (powder) and salt for a simple but amazing salad dressing / dip that goes well with cucumbers, cabbage, celery, etc.

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Canned chick peas with any pre-made sauce. I frequently put a handful of spinach, half a can of drained chick peas, few tablespoons of ready made panaag curry (or pesto, depending on mood), microwave for 2 minutes. If I'm feeling fancy I'll slice some peppers to top it out of microwave.

Peanut butter on bread.

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cottage cheese, berries, pepitas

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Coleslaw mix and green onion with ramen...Sriracha

Shrimp with cilantro and lime juice, or garlic and butter. Takes like 2 minutes for the shrimp to cook through in a saute pan and goes perfectly with a simple side like rice.

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classic broccoli chicken and rice

Finely cut red cabbage with scallions and carrots sliced with potato peeler. Season with olive oil, apple cider vinegar salt&pepper yum

Milk chocolate and corn snacks

Hummus and tomato slices

Avocado and soy sauce

black beans, canned green peppers, and cheese flautas. it only takes 5-10 mins to prep and cook. Good protein too

Has anyone ever tried mustard and carrots? It's actually pretty good.

Chickpea and tahini

Pizza and gala apple slices

Cut an apple into bite size chunks and add to a salad bowl with some chopped walnuts. Mix together with a couple tablespoons of a good quality creamy blue cheese dressing. If you like blue cheese this is a crazy good little salad.

Asparagus and oyster sauce. Serve this over some brown rice. It’s delicious.

Chicken, rice, broccoli and cheese. Love mixing up my leftovers like that.

Pineapple and mango. Alternating, ideally. 😋

Green grapes and any other normal berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries...) The grapes add an exponential sweetness.

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Golden raisins with walnuts 🤤

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Medjool dates dunked into almond butter.

Cream cheese & green olives, on a bagel preferably

Cracker, peanutbutter, siracha. Easy and tastes like Tai food.

Baked vegetables, olive oil (or butter), salt.

Beets & goat cheese

Can of beans and frozen corn, microwaved for a few minutes. Can add cheese etc.

Pineapple and cinnamon

As a dessert, raspberries stuffed with 2-3 stevia sweetened dark chocolate chips.

Goat cheese and beets

Handful of raisins, handful of cashews.

Red grapes and blue cheese. Next level platter.

Cheese quesadilla with hummus

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fried potato tacos corn tortillas oil mashed potatoes

Meatless hot dogs and baked beans.

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I like to put seasoned scrambled eggs on my toast :)

White rice-canned tuna-soy sauce

Melt parmesan and butter then eat with apples

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Sliced tomato and salt

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Bell peppers and hummus! 😊

Vegemite and tomato on toast.

Green apples and sharp yellow cheddar

I love this post!

Avocado with sea salt sprinkled on it

Broccoli steamed then add butter and sea salt

Popcorn then add chilli powder and salt

Seeded toast with loads of salted butter

Carrots and hummus

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Instant mashed potatoes and whatever cheese you like.

Graham Crackers and cream cheese

Rice and lentils.

Bell pepper cut in half, sliced turkey inside, and cheese on top. Microwave for a min to slightly melt the cheese!

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Omg HEAR ME OUT

Hot fries and sweet and sour sauce. I ate that with my eyes closed drunk as hell after a night out. Changed my life forever.

This was the wrong list to read while recovering from food poisoning.

Black Beans and Brown Rice. That combo while bland on it's face can be spiced to your taste and contains some of every amino acids humans need making it a "complete protein" meal. Add a tiny bit of meat for B12 and your can literally live on beans and rice alone.

Cottage cheese and avacadoes.

Rice and sunny side up eggs. I usually add a spoonful of hoisin then drizzle with soy and hot sauce. Very cheap and low effort. Especially if you own a rice cooker.

Eggs and anything